WASHINGTON -- As House Republicans push toward a vote to impeach President Clinton, not only is public sentiment overwhelmingly against them, but so are many prominent Republicans across the country.

Republicans on the House Judiciary Committee say there is credible evidence that the president committed perjury and other impeachable offenses. Moreover, they say they are duty bound to follow a constitutionally established process and cannot be swayed by public opinion."The guys who have the constitutional and historical responsibility are us," said Rep. Chris Cannon, R-Utah, a committee member.

A large majority of House Republicans seem inclined to follow the panel's lead. Most come from safe districts -- only 10 House Republicans won their races in November with 52 percent or less -- and consequently few face repercussions from constituents by voting for impeachment. Indeed, many Republicans face pressure to satisfy their conservative base or what lawmakers call the subtle urgings of a top House Republican leader, Rep. Tom DeLay of Texas.

But a growing number of Republican governors, mayors and state party officials are expressing reservations about the Republican-led inquiry or outright opposition to impeachment.

Gov. John Rowland of Connecticut, a former three-term Republican congressman, said in an interview on Thursday: "Did Clinton do something wrong and lie? Yes. But does impeaching the president serve any public good? The answer is absolutely not."

"Now is the time for Congress to get past this issue," said Rowland, who added that the House should censure Clinton. "They should focus on the Asian financial crisis, Social Security, improving the quality of life and on being civil again."

Mayor Rudolph Giuliani of New York City, who believes the accusations against Clinton do not amount to impeachable offenses, said last month: "The rush to impeachment by Republicans has been very, very harmful to us."

Gov. Paul Cellucci of Massachusetts was equally blunt: "I don't think it's helping the Republican Party."

Other Republican leaders, like Gov. Marc Racicot of Montana, a former state attorney general, expressed doubts about how the Judiciary Committee has conducted its investigation: "I've been somewhat concerned that the process is less judicial than what I thought it should be."

The committee's zigzagging over the past two weeks -- into Clinton's 1996 campaign finance practices and allegations that the president groped a White House volunteer in 1993 -- has perplexed many party faithful.

"Every time there's a new twist, it confuses people about the mission of the committee," said Greg Brock, executive director of the Michigan Republican State Committee.

The GOP reversed course on campaign funding Thursday after determining that secret Justice Department memos contained no evidence of impeachable offenses.

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Chief GOP counsel Thomas Mooney Sr. demanded in a letter that the president's lawyers notify the panel Friday who will appear before the committee Tuesday and how much time they will need to defend the president. The White House did not immediately respond.

Many Republican leaders voice concern that the inquiry and impending votes in the House not only risk drawing a backlash from a scandal-weary public but also may distract the party from important legislative priorities, from tax cuts to shoring up Social Security.

"We have to get this over with as soon as possible," said Gov. Tommy Thompson of Wisconsin. "The voters are sick to death of partisanship. We need to move on and develop a strong offense, based on a strong policy message."

Mayor Brent Coles of Boise, Idaho, the ranking Republican in the U.S. Conference of Mayors, said in an interview Thursday: "It does seem to me that we're talking about it way too much. Whatever the House's job is, they must do it quickly. Get in, get out, and do it post-haste."

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